Does Florida Have an Official Alimony Formula?

Does Florida have an official alimony formula?

No. Florida has no official formula that sets alimony for you. A judge first decides whether one spouse needs support and the other can pay. Then the judge weighs the factors in § 61.08, Florida Statutes. Only durational alimony has built-in math: a cap of 35% of the gap between net incomes, and a time limit tied to the marriage's length.

Alimony means support one spouse pays the other after a divorce. If you are facing this question, you can get a clear picture of the rules before you talk to anyone.

Source: § 61.08, Florida Statutes (2026), as rewritten by chapter 2023-315, Laws of Florida, effective July 1, 2023. Current as of October 2026.

How does a Florida judge decide alimony without a formula?

The judge follows a set order of questions, not a calculator. The spouse asking for alimony has to prove the need for it.

Under § 61.08(2), the court decides two things first:

1. Decide whether the spouse asking for alimony has an actual need for it.
2. Decide whether the other spouse has the ability to pay.

If both answers are yes, the judge looks at the factors in § 61.08(3). These include:

• Length of the marriage: counted from the wedding date to the date the divorce was filed.
• Standard of living: how you lived during the marriage and what each of you will need.
• Health and age: each spouse's age and physical, mental and emotional condition.
• Income and resources: each spouse's income and property, including what each gets in the divorce.
• Earning ability: education, job skills and how employable each spouse is.
• Contributions: homemaking, child care, and help with the other spouse's education or career.
• Children: each parent's duties toward minor children.

The judge must explain the decision in written findings. That is why two couples with the same incomes can end up with different results.

What limits does Florida law put on alimony?

Florida sets ceilings, not a formula. Florida no longer has permanent alimony. The 2023 law left four types: temporary (paid while the divorce is pending), bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative and durational.

• Bridge-the-gap alimony: helps you move from married to single life, for no more than 2 years.
• Rehabilitative alimony: pays for training or education to get back to work, for no more than 5 years.
• Durational alimony: support for a set time. It is not allowed after a marriage of less than 3 years.
• Durational amount: the lower of the receiving spouse's reasonable need or 35% of the difference between the spouses' net incomes.

For durational alimony, the length cap depends on how long the marriage lasted. The table below shows those caps. A judge can go past them only in exceptional circumstances, proven by clear and convincing evidence.

Warning: Online alimony calculators are not official. They can show the 35% ceiling, but a judge may award less, or nothing, based on need and the § 61.08 factors.